Princess
by netangel182
Summary: Erin lost her sister when her family came to America from Ireland. Her life is turned upsidedown when her sister appears with a few new friends. A spin off of Queen of New York, but can stand on it's own as well.
1. Teaser

Princess Preface Hey everyone, believe it or not, I didn't disappear off the face of the earth. I just had a major case of writer's black and lack of time. Anyway, this story is a spin-off of The Queen of New York, which I published at least a month ago. If you haven't read it, this story will still make sense, but they are pretty cool when you look at them both together, it shows the situation from a few different perspectives. Also I'm debating about alternating point of view in this fic like I did the last one, so let me know what you think about that! Thanx and enjoy!  
  
  
  
Princess  
  
Have you ever wanted something so badly and for so long, that once you get it, you have no idea what to do with yourself? Welcome to my life!  
  
  
  
i know that it's painfully short, but i just wanted to give you a little teaser! I promis that the first actual chapter is being typed as we speak!  
  
  



	2. The Plan

Disclaimer: OK by now I'm sure that you all know the drill, I don't own the newsies. If I did, I'd be writing an actual sequal, not posting it here for free. Anyway I'm just gonna write this once, but it goes for every chapter of this story. Oh by the way, I did come up with the original characters, but if you want to use them go for it!  
  
Princess  
  
Before you start to think me crazy, let me explain myself. My name is Erin O'Farrell, and this is the story of my life, well at least them most recent years of my life. You see I was born and raised in Dublin, Ireland where the first fourteen years of my life passed by rather uneventfully. That is until 1900 when my whole family packed up and shipped off to America. Even then everything was going well. That is until we docked.  
  
My sister and Riona and I excitedly mingled around the crowded halls of the Ellis Island immigration building. Suddenly, a young man caught my attention. I was after all a fifteen-year-old girl. When I turned to point him out to Riona, who, at a sixteen appreciated the opposite sex as much (if not more) than I did, she had vanished into the sea of people.  
  
For a very long year, my parents and my brother never let me out of their sight. They were careful to escort me around to where I absolutely needed to be, and keep me away from anything with the potential of harm. In retrospect, I can understand the motives behind their protectiveness, but at the time it was suffocating. On top of it all, my sister's name or any remnants of her existence became taboo in our household. It was unnerving that I was the only one who had not forgotten her.  
  
After a full year had passed, I could feel my patience spreading thinner and thinner. I had high hopes that things would change for us; that the winds of change would finally blow favorably on my family. I thought wrong.  
  
Granted, those proverbial winds did come; but instead of bringing happiness, they introduced us to a young man by the name of Whesley Wade. He and Donavan met a few months into semester and the two became close friends, which I will never understand. The two are as different as night and day. Nevertheless, Whesley became part of our lives, for better or for worse.  
  
One clammy spring night not long after they had met, I was walking passed Donavan's room when I heard muffled voices. Without giving it a second thought, I leaned closer to the door, which had conveniently been left open slightly. Now before you begin to hate me and call me a snoop, remember, I was a sixteen-year-old girl, that's just the way that it works.  
  
"You have to believe me O'Farrell. This girl is the epitome of street rat," Whesley said, a slight chuckle in his voice. "But she has the best body that I've ever seen on a dame."  
  
I shook my head on the other side of the door. You've got to be kidding me.  
  
My brother laughed uncomfortably. "You must be joking. There is no way that your parents would approve of you courting a newsie!"  
  
"Exactly!"  
  
I couldn't believe this guy. Did he have any conscience whatsoever?  
  
I could just imagine the confused look on my brother's face. "Excuse me?"  
  
"Try using that brain of yours for once Donavan." For once the boy was right. Don't get me wrong, my brother's intelligent, however very dense. "There's no better revenge than telling your parents that you want to spend time with the lowlifes of the city."  
  
Ok now I know what you're thinking, but my life wasn't that sheltered. I knew enough to realize that a poor female newsie was being used to make the Wades suffer. However demented and wrong, I did understand his intentions. Give me a little credit.  
  
Too disgusted by the thought of his plans, I turned down the hall before Whesley exited the room. Unfortunately, I was a few seconds too late. He suddenly materialized before me. "Why hello Erin my darling," he said, taking my hand to kiss. I jerked it back quickly and walked toward my bedroom.  
  
Much to my dismay, I couldn't get the boys' conversation out of my head. I couldn't help but wonder who this poor girl was. Beginning to feel responsible for warning her about Whesley's sleazy ways, I became determined to at least search for her.  
  
The next morning on the way to school, the opportunity literally tapped me on the shoulder.  
  
"Buy a paper miss?" I spun around to see an astonishingly handsome newsie standing directly behind me. He quickly removed his bowl shaped hat to reveal short careless brown curls.  
  
Noticing that Donavan had continued up the street without me, I decided that this was a perfect opportunity. "Sure."  
  
His eyes danced happily behind the thin wire glasses that rested on his nose. "The name's Specs," he said sweetly, handing me a paper.  
  
"Erin," I returned, as calmly as possible. There was a moment of silence, then I quickly added. "This might sound strange, but do you know of any news girls from around here?"  
  
He looked at me strangely, but answered anyway, "You must be thinkin of Queeny. Do ya know her?" "No.I." Before I had time to formulate an answer, Donavan was calling me from up the street. "I have to."  
  
Specs nodded. "It was very nice to meet you Erin. Maybe I'll run into you again sometime."  
  
I smiled, unable to control the crimson that rose up into my cheeks. "I would like that very much. It was nice to meet you too." I extended a hand to him, but before he could react, Donavan grabbed me by the wrist, guiding me down the street.  
  
To be continued. 


	3. Homecoming

"Erin, what on earth were you doing talking to that. that. newsie?" Donavon practically screamed when we were out of earshot.  
  
Unbelievable. "You're joking right?" Donavon stared at me blankly; typical. "Could you be more of a hypocrite?"  
  
"Are you feeling alright? You're not making any sense."  
  
Rolling my eyes, I turned and headed off for school. "I heard the two of you last night, Donavon."  
  
He grabbed my arm, forcing me to face him. "Heard? Eavesdropping is a bad habit you know."  
  
I quickly changed the subject. "So it is alright for your friends to associate with newsies, but not your sister?"  
  
He shrugged. "Maybe Whesley's right. They're not like us, Erin. Come on, we'll be late for school."  
  
Now I want you to understand something. Before you get the wrong impression, my brother isn't a heartless person like Whesley. He just doesn't like to rock the boat. I, on the other hand. Well, let's just say that I am no stranger to making waves. "Donavon Michael O'Farrell, how can you say that? You don't even know them."  
  
"And you do?" he replied calmly.  
  
"Whose fault is that?"  
  
He narrowed his eyes for a moment, prepared to counter. Instead, he did an about-face, stalking down the street. "Get to school now, Erin."  
  
"Urgh, you are so infuriating!"  
  
We took off in different directions, headed into another day of school.  
  
The morning dragged on for what seemed like years. With my earlier conversation with Donavon still swimming around in my head, not to mention Whesley's little comments, it was next to impossible to concentrate on edict and Latin. By the time that afternoon break came around, I was becoming stir-crazy.  
  
I stood in the window, absently watching a young newsie selling across the street. My thoughts were interrupted by a hand waving in front of my face. "Erin. Hey Erin, are you alright?"  
  
"Huh?" I spun around to find a few of my friends staring at me expectantly. "Oh, yes, I'm fine. Just thinking about something."  
  
One of the girls shifted her glance out the window. "Hey Erin, who is that raggedy girl with your brother?"  
  
"What?" I shot back to the window to see Donavon striding toward the door with a red-headed girl standing timidly behind him. Without another word, I ran out the door, meeting my brother on the sidewalk. "What do you think that you are doing here? Shouldn't you be in school?"  
  
He flashed me a goofy grin, and then stepped aside; revealing a girl about my age, dressed in very simple, rather dirty clothes. There was, however something about her that seemed hauntingly familiar.  
  
To this day, I still can't say what tipped me off, but I was positive that the young lady standing before me was my sister. "Riona?"  
  
"Hey little sis," she said, her words barely cutting through the fog that had settled in my head.  
  
I honestly have no recollection of that night. That is until I asked her about living with us. I wanted so badly to have her back in my life, but as soon as the words were out of my mouth, she took off.  
  
I spent the whole night locked in my room, unable to control my tears. Whether they were tears of sorrow or joy, I'm still not sure. All that I knew was that my sister's reappearance in my life was certainly stirring up my emotions.  
  
When I awoke the next morning, everyone was still asleep. I took it as the perfect opportunity to get away.  
  
Dressed in simple clothing so that I wouldn't stand out, I headed downtown. Just when I thought that I was completely lost, I found a group of newsboys gathered around a statue of a rather angry looking man.  
  
I was trying to work up the courage to enter the group to look for Riona when I heard a vaguely familiar voice behind me. "Erin?"  
  
I turned slowly and a smile began to crawl onto my lips when my eyes locked with a pair of blue eyes smiling behind thin glasses. "Specs, so we meet again."  
  
He returned my smile, lighting his face even more. "It's nice to see you again." There was a moment of silence, and then he suddenly raised his eyebrows. "I'll be right back."  
  
Specs trotted away, leaving me too dumbfounded to make a move. A minute later, he returned with Riona at his side, another newsie holding her hand. "This is the girl that you were asking about. Erin, I'd like you to meet Queeny."  
  
Trying our best to stifle giggles, Riona and I waited patiently for him to finish his introductions before sharing a quick embrace. When we released each other, the boys were gaping at us.  
  
"Ok, explain," the boy beside my sister said with a thick Brooklyn accent.  
  
Riona and I burst into peals of laughter. "Spot, Specs, this is my little sister Erin."  
  
"Sister?" Specs squeaked out.  
  
A devilish grin spread across Riona's lips. "Yes Specs, sister. As in the same parents."  
  
"Oh hush up, Queeny," Specs replied.  
  
The other newsie, who, by process of elimination, I decided was Spot, dropped his arm around my sister's waist. I shot her a questioning look, attempting to piece the whole situation together.  
  
As if she read my mind, Riona slipped out of Spot's grasp and linked elbows with me. "We've got some catching up to do."  
  
As we started down the street away from the crowd, we started giggling like little girls again.  
  
"And we thought that one of them was bad." Spot mumbled as the boys returned to the group.  
  
"I heard that," Riona called back, making us giggle even more.  
  
We spent about an hour just walking around Manhattan, headed no place in particular. As we walked, she told me how she ended up with the newsies and I filled her in on the events of the last year that she had missed.  
  
"Ok," I said suddenly, "enough small talk. I want to know about this boy of yours."  
  
She flushed, her green eyes dancing wildly. "Spot? Well, there's not much to tell. You see there was this guy. and well, he wasn't what I thought-"  
  
"Whesley?" I cut in. She gave me a confused sideways glance. I chuckled. "He's Donavon's friend remember?"  
  
She made a funny face. "Oh yeah. Anyway, Spot came looking for me when I didn't come home last night, and he ran into Whesley. Let's just say that we won't be hearing from him anytime soon."  
  
We walked for a few steps in silence. Finally I spoke up, "I missed you."  
  
She teared up again, pulling me into a loving hug. "I missed you too, kiddo."  
  
"What are you going to do now, Riona? Where are you going to live?"  
  
Her eyes clouded over for a second, but she shook her head and smiled. "Let's not talk about that right now, huh. Come on, let's get back. It's about time for lunch. Besides, I think that there's a certain newsie waiting to talk to you."  
  
At that moment, I couldn't decide whether I was embarrassed or ecstatic. Either way, I was happy.  
  
A few of the boys were already seated in the small diner when we arrived. Riona pointed out a few of the other boys around the table, although I'm a little unsure who I actually met that afternoon. I kept glancing over at Specs, who would shift his gaze whenever I turned toward him.  
  
The newsies made small talk about the day's headlined while we waited for our food, and once it came, they were too busy eating to make any conversation at all.  
  
That is until the short Italian, who I later learned was Racetrack, spoke up. "You boys all got your dates for Saturday night?"  
  
Suddenly, Spot hit Jack on the shoulder. "Jacky-boy, you thinkin what I'm thinkin?" he asked, shifting his glance from me to Specs and back again.  
  
Jack nodded and turned to me, grinning. "Erin, how would you like to join us at a dittle dance that we're havin on Saturday?"  
  
I glanced over at Specs, who cheeks were about as red as mine felt. "I'll have to check with my parents."  
  
"I'll be there. They'll let you come," Riona assured.  
  
Not long after we finished eating, the newsies all began to scatter. The next thing that I knew, the only people left at the table were Riona, Spot, Specs and myself.  
  
"Well, I'se better be headin back to Brooklyn. The boys'll start gettin worried," Spot said, breaking the silence. He leaned over and gave Riona a soft kiss. "You wanna spend the afternoon in Brooklyn?"  
  
She got up to follow him, but sat back down when she realized that I was still there.  
  
"Go ahead, Riona. It's ok," I assured. "I can find my way home. I think."  
  
A worried look masked her face and she glanced between me and Spot.  
  
This time it was Specs's turn to speak up. "It'll be alright, Queeny. I can take her home."  
  
Spot winked at him and pulled Riona out the door.  
  
"What was that all about?" I asked, raising a questioning eyebrow.  
  
He flashed me a smile and quickly changed the subject. "How bout a tour of the city?"  
  
I gave him a quick sideways glance. "I do live here you know. I've seen all of the sights."  
  
"I highly doubt that you've seen the ones that I'm about to show you. Come on." He pulled me from my seat and we started down the street.  
  
Some time later, after I'd seen most of lower Manhattan, Specs and I stood on the end of one of the many docks in the Harbor.  
  
"Can I ask you something?" I asked, not taking my eyes off of the water before me.  
  
"I think that you just did," he teased. "What do you want to know?"  
  
"Why did you become a newsie?"  
  
He let out a long sigh and took a seat on the dock. I followed in suit. "Well, I grew up in London. When I was ten, I wanted a little adventure, like every ten-year-old does. Anyway, one of my friends bet me to stow away in a ship headed across the channel to France. Unfortunately, we weren't old enough to know the difference between the ships, and I ended up here. After a few months on the streets, I met up with Dutchy and we bummed around until Jack found us. He convinced us to be newsies with him."  
  
Not long after that day, I realized that most of the newsies had similar stories, and that some had worse, but at that moment, I couldn't help but feel sorry for Specs.  
  
I cautiously laid a hand on his forearm. "Why didn't you go back? To England?"  
  
His face furrowed in thought for a moment and then relaxed as he replied, "When I first got here, I didn't have the money for a ticket and I couldn't take another trip across the ocean in a cargo hold. By the time that I started making enough money, I guess that the newsies had become my family."  
  
I wracked my brain for a way to respond, but all that I could think to do was squeeze his arm and smile.  
  
When he turned to face me, a bright smile brushed across his features. "I think that we need to find you a newsie name."  
  
"A newsie name?"  
  
He snickered. "You don't think that I was born with a name like Specs do you?"  
  
Flushing, I smiled sheepishly. "So what name were you born with then?"  
  
He quickly averted the question. "Now back to finding you a name."  
  
"Oh no, don't think that you're going to get out of it that easily. Come on, please." I put on my best pout.  
  
"I'll never say," he replied, straining to keep a straight face. He glanced at me again, cracking a smile. "Ok, ok. But you have to promise not to tell anyone. Not even Dutchy knows."  
  
"Well," I toyed with him, pretending to consider his offer. "I promise. Now will you tell me already?"  
  
"Carlton Bingham," he whispered, barely loud enough for me to make out.  
  
Unconsciously, I grabbed his hand lightly and leaned toward him, whispering, "That wasn't so hard, now was it?"  
  
Realizing how close we were, I started to pull back, shifting my gaze to the river. I was about to apologize when I felt his free hand lifting my chin. Before I knew what was happening, his warm lips brushed over mine gently. 


	4. Interruption

Unfortunately, the kiss was over almost before it began.  
  
"I thought that you said that you were taking her home," Riona called playfully, trotting down the dock.  
  
Specs blushed and pulled away from me. "I was taking her home. We just took a little detour is all."  
  
"Specs, that was four hours ago." She giggled slightly. "Come on Erin, it's time to get you back."  
  
Sadly, I stood to join my sister, but Specs gently grabbed my hand. "If it's all the same to you, Queeny, I'd rather keep my word and do it myself."  
  
Riona just flashed us a bright smile. "Alright, but no more detours, you hear me?"  
  
Specs nodded, which seemed to satisfy my sister.  
  
"Tell Ma and Da that I'll stop by tomorrow afternoon to sort through some things." With another bright smile, Riona headed back up the dock toward the lodging house.  
  
"Well," Specs said, almost sadly. "I guess that we'd better get going."  
  
I watched him start up the dock, not wanting to follow. Right before he stepped onto the land, he turned back, finding me still standing at the end of the dock. Another smile brushed across his lips and he retraced his steps until he was standing before me.  
  
"Come on, Princess," he said, taking my hand.  
  
I intertwined my fingers with his as we started up the dock together. "What did you call me?"  
  
"Princess," he replied simply. "Your sister is the queen, so you can be a princess. Besides, it suits you."  
  
"Is that a good thing?" I countered, only half teasing.  
  
He casually stopped walking and wrapped his arms around my waist, gently pulling me toward him. When we were just inches apart, he whispered, "That's a very good thing."  
  
Seconds later, he closed the distance between us, our lips meeting once again. This time, there was no interruption and the kiss became more intense. His arms tightened around my waist and my hands became tangled in the bit of dark hair just below the brim on his hat. Convinced that we were drawing a crowd, I gently pulled back.  
  
"Sorry," he said softly, pulling back slightly.  
  
I grabbed his shoulder, preventing him from moving any further away. "Don't be."  
  
"Come on, I told Queeny that we wouldn't stop any more." He started walking once more, tugging at my hand gently.  
  
"Urgh, you're no fun at all," I joked, skipping to match his stride.  
  
He cracked a sideways smile. "I try."  
  
I returned his grin, but it soon faded when I looked up to see my front door just before us. I sighed deeply, willing the street to stretch farther and prolong our walk. Unfortunately, the door came all too quickly.  
  
"Well," he started, searching for something to say.  
  
I grinned at his discomfort.  
  
"Erin! Where have you been?" Donovan shouted from his bedroom window. "Get in here now!"  
  
"Well, it looks as though you have been missed," Specs commented, pushing me lightly toward the door. "Mustn't keep him waiting."  
  
I moved back to him. "You won't get away that easily."  
  
Leaning my head up, I kissed him lightly.  
  
"Erin O'Farrell, what in God's name do you think that you are doing?" Donavon's voice rang out once more, causing Specs to pull away.  
  
"Will I see you again soon?" he asked quietly.  
  
"I hope so." With another quick kiss, I darted for the front door. "Goodnight Specs."  
  
He cocked a half-smile at me. "Night, Princess."  
  
Five minutes later, I was (like any other teenage girl would be) rehashing all of the events of the day in my mind, when Donavon stormed into my room.  
  
"What was that all about?" he asked, aggravation evident in his voice.  
  
"Do you not know how to knock?"  
  
His eyes flared. "Erin! What were you doing with that newsie?"  
  
"If I have to tell you, then you are more naive than I thought," I replied calmly. "Where are Ma and Da?"  
  
"Do you ever listen to anything that I tell you?" he asked in an exhausted voice.  
  
"Aw, Donavon, you should know by now that I don't," I teased. "Now where are they?"  
  
His jaw clenched and he narrowed his eyes at me.  
  
"Children, where are you?"  
  
I sighed; saved by the mother. I called down the stairs, "Up here!"  
  
A few minutes later, my mother materialized in the open doorway of my bedroom, her curly red hair disheveled from a day of shopping in the market. "So what have you two been doing today?"  
  
"Erin was-" Donavon started, the anger still very present in his voice.  
  
"Just telling him about my day with Riona," I cut in before he could finish his sentence.  
  
"Well good for you darling. I'm glad to see you spend time with your sister," my mother replied.  
  
Donavon shot me an evil glare over her shoulder, but I shrugged it off and continued. "She said that she would be stopping by sometime tomorrow."  
  
A bright smile flashed across her face. "Well, I guess that I'll go straighten up a bit, then."  
  
"Ma, it's only Riona, not the governor," Donavon mumbled.  
  
She simply shrugged and skipped down the stairs.  
  
I returned to my daydreaming, completely oblivious to my brother's presence. That is until he commenced his raving. "Erin, I just don't understand you. Why can't you just socialize with the boys of your standing?"  
  
Seeing that he left himself wide open, I had no choice but to call him on his bad judgment. "Like Whesley?"  
  
"And why not?"  
  
It was my turn to get angry. "Do you honestly not know?" Judging from the blank expression on his face, my assumption was correct. "Just get out."  
  
"I-" he started as I pushed him out of the room.  
  
"Goodnight, Donavon." I closed the door in his face and quickly locked it. 


	5. Learning to be a Newsie

"Free at last," I murmured as I left school the next afternoon.  
  
"Hey, Erin." I turned to see Jack trotting up the sidewalk. "Want to come to Tibby's with us?"  
  
I frowned. "Can't. If I'm not home in ten minutes, my brother will send out a search party."  
  
"You sure?" I nodded. "Alright then see you at the dance tomorrow."  
  
"Bye." With a smile, I turned and headed for home.  
  
I lay on my bed reading later that afternoon when Riona's voice rang happily through the house. "Hello! Anyone home?"  
  
I set down my book and darted down the stairs. When I reached the foyer, Ma and Da were already fussing around her.  
  
She snuck away from them and pulled me into a hug, whispering in my ear, "I need to talk to Ma and Da alone. Why don't you go for a little walk?"  
  
When she pulled back, she motioned to the front window. I followed her glance until my eyes fell on a familiar hat and glasses. I smiled at my sister before announcing to my parents that I was leaving.  
  
"Long time no see," I teased as I closed the front door closed behind me.  
  
"Well," Specs began, taking a step closer to me, "Queeny said that you might have a little time on your hands, so." He leaned closer, placing a sweet kiss on my lips.  
  
"Come on," I said when we parted, taking his hand. "Now I'll take you on my tour of the city."  
  
As we walked around uptown Manhattan, I pointed out random sites. Ten minutes later, we were standing in front of McCaffery's Finishing School.  
  
"This is where you go to school?" he asked in astonishment.  
  
I rolled my eyes. "Unfortunately."  
  
He grinned. "Finishing school, huh? So aren't you supposed to be refined?"  
  
"I am," I defended in mock snobbery.  
  
He wrapped his arms around my waist and leaned close. "Then what are you doing with a newsie."  
  
Without responding, I let my lips find his, losing myself in the kiss.  
  
"Hey street rat, what do you think that you are doing?"  
  
I didn't even have to turn around to know who was taunting us: Whesley. Specs, who was facing him, turned beet red with frustration. He went to take a step in Whesley's direction, but I tightened my grip on his arm. "He's not worth it."  
  
"Get out of here little newsie boy!"  
  
Rolling my eyes, I spun around. Once I did, my jaw dropped. Standing there next to Whesley was none other than my brother.  
  
"Did you hear me, street rat? Get yourself a date with one of your own kind."  
  
Specs dropped my hand, taking a few steps in Whesley's direction. "You didn't seem to feel that way when you were after Queeny!"  
  
Whesley's features hardened. "She wasn't really one of you, now was she?"  
  
Before anyone could say anything, Donavon's eyebrows shot up. "The newsgirl you were talking about was my sister!?"  
  
It had obviously taken my brother a long time to put the pieces together, once he had, Whesley's confident expression faded. A split second later, Donavon's fist shot up from his side and connected with his friend's jaw. The sound of his fist connecting with the bone made me cringe.  
  
Whesley sulked away, holding his jaw in pain.  
  
"I want to apologize for how I have acted the last few days. I had a bad influence." My brother pointed down the street toward Whesley. He then extended a shaky hand toward Specs. "I'm Donavon."  
  
Specs shot me a nervous glance before shaking his hand. "Specs. Nice to meet ya."  
  
They both smiles and the three of us headed back toward the house, chatting away. As we approached the front porch, Specs stopped walking. "Hey I got an idea. Donavon, you should come to a dance that we're havin tomorrow night. See what newsies are really like."  
  
Donavon considered it for a moment. "Will there be girls?"  
  
"Of course," Specs said, chuckling. "Wherever there's newsies, there's always plenty of pretty girls."  
  
"Count me in," my brother replied.  
  
As I rolled my eyes, Riona bounded out the door. "Oh, there you are! I was just on my way out. Come on Specs, Jack wanted us back at the lodging house to help almost ten minutes ago."  
  
"Right." He kissed me on the cheek quickly and started back. "See you tomorrow."  
  
"I really have to go," Riona said, hugging us each goodbye quickly before following Specs. "I'll see you in the morning, Erin!"  
  
"What-" I started, but she had already turned the corner.  
  
"What was that all about?" Donavon asked, staring after her.  
  
I sighed. "I have no idea, but I doubt that I will enjoy it."  
  
The next morning, I woke up to a vaguely familiar face standing over me.  
  
"Morning sleepy head." I heard in a thick Brooklyn accent. "Thought that you might want to come sellin with me and Queeny today. See what its like to be a real newsie."  
  
I was so tired that none of what he was saying was making any sense. "Huh?"  
  
Just then, Riona materialized beside Spot. "Come on, Erin. Get dressed."  
  
A few minutes later, I was appropriately dressed and walking down the street sluggishly behind the other two. When we reached the distribution center, I was amazed to see just how many newsies there really were in Manhattan. They poured into the square, clumping into smaller groups as they scanned through the papers.  
  
Spot and Riona trotted over to Jack and a few of the newsies that I had me the previous day. When they got close enough, Spot spit in his hand and extended it to Jack, who did the same. "How's the headlines Jacky-boy?"  
  
"Could be bettah." Jack then shifted his gaze to me. "Hello again. Your big sis showing you the ropes?"  
  
"I guess," I said, still wiping the sleep from my eyes.  
  
He grinned. "Well then, we'd better find you a newsie name. Seein as you're gonna be sellin and all."  
  
"She's already got one, Cowboy," Dutchy called from a few feet away. "Specs calls her princess."  
  
All the boys started laughing and I looked up to see a very red-faced Specs standing beside his friends. Before I had the chance to say so much as a hello to him, Jack called out to the group. "Let's get to sellin, boys!"  
  
Riona nudged him.  
  
"Sorry, Queeny." Jack smiled. "And girls."  
  
She nodded in approval and we started into the streets. I spent all morning and part of the afternoon watching Riona and Spot as their stacks of papers shrank fro one hundred a piece to zero. By the time that Riona had finished selling her papers, it was nearly four o'clock.  
  
While the boys headed back to the lodging house to make final preparations for the dance, Riona and I started uptown to make preparations of our own.  
  
"I can't believe that this still fits," Riona remarked, buttoning the front of an emerald dress that she had found in her old trunk.  
  
I glanced up at her from my seat in front of the vanity mirror. "Were you expecting it not to?"  
  
"You never know." She shrugged, moving behind me to examine herself in the mirror.  
  
I chuckled and reached for a pin to secure the bun in my hair. "I guess so."  
  
"Leave it down," she said, running her fingers through my sandy brown hair. "You look beautiful."  
  
"But, that's improper, Riona."  
  
She scoffed. "Erin, it's only the newsies. They aren't exactly concerned with propriety."  
  
I glanced up at my reflection, biting my lip. My hair hung in wavy curls past my shoulders. Before I could reconsider, I returned the pin to the surface of the vanity. "Why not?"  
  
"Besides," she continued, "I know at least one newsie who won't mind."  
  
I could feel the blush rising in my cheeks.  
  
"Look how smitten you are," Riona said more seriously, taking a seat on the bed behind me.  
  
I bit my lip and turned to face her. "I think that I love him, Riona."  
  
Her eyes grew wide. "But you've only known him for two days!"  
  
"So," I defended, "Look at Romeo and Juliet. They only spoke twice before they were married."  
  
"Erin, they killed themselves at the end of the play," she pointed out.  
  
I sighed. "Yes, but it is still considered the greatest love story of all time."  
  
"Be careful, ok?" She gave me a quick hug. "I just don't want to see you get hurt."  
  
"I'll be fine. I promise."  
  
Just then, the bell rang out through the house.  
  
"Ready?" Riona asked, checking her reflection once more.  
  
"Let's go."  
  
"Girls," Donavon called up the stairs, "Specs and Spot are here!"  
  
"We're comin, keep your shirt on!" Riona retorted. I shot her a disapproving glance. "What? I've been living with newsies."  
  
We burst into peals of laughter as we descended the stairs. 


End file.
